Obstruction of Justice – impeding or hindering the administration of justice (i.e. tampering with evidence, witness, juror, or judge)

1. The criminal offense under the common law, and by the statutes of many jurisdictions, of obstructing the administration and due court of justice. 39 Am J1st Obst J § 1. [1]

1. The crime of impeding or hindering the administration of justice in any way. EXAMPLES: intimidating a witness; bribing a juror. See obstructing process.

obstructing process:

1. The crime of impeding or interfering with service of process. EXAMPLE: deliberately misleading a process server with the respect to the whereabouts of a person she is attempting to serve or the location of property upon which she is attempting to levy. [2]

obstruction of justice: (1854)

1. Interference with the orderly administration of law and justice, as by giving false information to or withholding evidence from a police officer or prosecutor, or by harming or intimidating a witness or juror. * Obstruction of justice is a crime in most jurisdictions. — akaobstructing justice; obstructing public justice. [3]

“The goal, — to proscribe every willful act of corruption, intimidation or force which tends in any way to distort or impede the administration of law either civil or criminal — has been very largely attained, partly by aid of legislation. And any punishable misdeed of such a nature which is not recognized as a distinct crime, is usually called ‘obstruction of justice,’ or ‘obstructing justice,’ — a common-law misdemeanor.” [4]

perverting the course of justice: (17c)

1.English law. The skewing of the disposition of legal proceedings, as by fabricating or destroying evidence, witness-tampering, or threatening or intimidating a judge. — aka interfering with the administration of justice; obstructing the administration of justice; obstructing the course of justice; obstructing justice; obstructing public justice; defeating the due course of justice; defeating the ends of justice; attempting to pervert the course of justice. [3]